It come as a surprise to you, that my family OWNS a real castle! Yup, over in merry old England. My family was given the castle and a whole bunch of lands as a reward for their gallantry in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Over here, another ancestor was a hero of the Revolutionary War. Ever heard of Ethan Allen? Another ancestor founded a town not far from D.C, where my mom and sis were welcomed into the town hall and given various little knick-knacks about the founder and shown around. My Dutch ancestors probably fought in the Napoleonic Wars, on the British side, and although it is not certain, as I have not studied it thoroughly, possibly: WATERLOO. A more recent ancestor, was the hero of the Battle of the Bulge. Well, I thought you guys would find this interesting. I guess I'm kinda like a English Duke...seriously, a CASTLE!

Eat 'cha heart out...Oh, and from now on you will adress me as His Lordly Highness Extrordinaire. And, yes, all the things above are absolutely true. Waterloo is not definate, but considering most of the "Brits" there were "Duchies" I wouldn't doubt it. Yes, my ancestory is a mess.

Yeah, but this one was won in the BATTLE OF HASTINGS, That means, that without my ancestors bravery, England might never have existed. That means the U.S. would never have existed. Probably you or me would not exist, and if we did, we would probably be Spanish. Who would have controlled Spain and France? Sweden? Maybe...but maybe not...If I remember correctly, Austria was British-backed, and without England, Austria might have fallen to the Turks. Woah, talk about food for thought.

"There are two powers in this world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter"- Napoleon Bonaparte

The course of history is often decided by a split-second decision or a change in the weather. The battle of Antiam would have turned out quite differently if a couple of Union soldiers hadn't found Lee's marching plans wrapped around three cigars.

If you're interested in the story mentioned previously, read about it in The Greatest War Stories Never Told .

Here comes the orator! With his flood of words,And his drop of reason.- Ben Franklin

Yep! I read an alternate history book one time, and it mentioned the cigar thing turning out differently. Lincoln became a digrace and lost the war. He became a...haha...Socialist. It was a really wierd book, what can I say!

"There are two powers in this world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter"- Napoleon Bonaparte

Are you serious?! They were cannibals? Woah, I better watch my back, I'm pretty fat, and you might want to eat me. Which island were your ancestors from? This might turn into a really interesting thread.

"There are two powers in this world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter"- Napoleon Bonaparte

Hound Knight wrote:One of my ancestors fought in the army of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings as well. I'm also related to James K. Polk, Sam Houston, and General Lew Wallace (the author of Ben-Hur).

Very neat! Sam Houston was a really great man, and Ben-Hur is one of my favorite movies! (the Charlton Heston one, not the silent one )

Sir Zeppelin wrote:Is it public, kind of like a musuem? Is it in good shape, or has it fallen into a state of disrepair? Is anyone still living in it? Inquiring minds want to know!

I don't know if it's a museum or not, I have always known about the castle, and never thought to ask. I am pretty sure that my relatives live in it, as they said my family could stay at the castle if we wanted. I think it might be called Castle Payton.

Hound Knight wrote:How did ye find out that ye had a castle?

Like I said, I always accepted the fact that our family owned it, I think our relatives contacted my family and said that any blood-relatives could stay in it if they wanted.

A little off-topic, but did you know that every US president is related to Charlemagne? Weird, huh?

"There are two powers in this world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter"- Napoleon Bonaparte

Sadly, my family is just your average middle-class American family, and as such, we have no money for a trip to Europe. I have hopes of going when I am an adult, though that's unlikely too. Obama is related to Dick Cheney! Look it up, it's true. George Washington is related to Edward of England. I think it was Edward the III. My dad told me about the Charlemagne thing a long time ago, and yes, I think EVERY president is related to Charlemagne if I remember correctly, let me know if I'm wrong though. I know: that both Roosevelts. I think: Reagan, both Adams, both Bushes, Lincoln, Van Buren, Grant, Hayes, Eisenhower, and the list goes on.

"There are two powers in this world, the sword and the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter"- Napoleon Bonaparte